Hard sell on hold as Zak pondered his options
MELBOURNE co- captain Nathan Jones acted more as sounding board than spruiker during younger brother Zak’s AFL contract dilemma.
In-demand hard nut Zak Jones ended months of speculation this week, signing a twoyear contract extension with Sydney.
Zak Jones insists he never seriously considered shifting home to Victoria, in part due to the advice of Nathan.
“I’ve spoken to him a fair bit about it,” Jones said yesterday.
“We joked around with it a fair bit. He bounced a few things off me and told me what I’ve got to look at.
“I wasn’t too sure, but once we had those discussions, I felt confident with what I wanted to do. Obviously it would have been great to play with my brother, but I’m my own player.”
Nathan Jones has endured plenty of low points during his 235 games at the Demons; 22year-old Zak has already featured in twice as many finals as his 29-year-old sibling.
But Nathan Jones’ commitment never wavered. The veteran pondered last month that “when you’ve invested so much of your life, physically and emotionally, why jump ship and bail out at the hardest point in time?”.
Zak Jones, who was drafted by the Swans in 2013, is eyeing a third straight finals campaign and didn’t face quite the same dilemma. But, like Nathan, the speedster spurned a multitude of suitors.
“I like being loyal to the team,” Zak Jones said, having been one of the Swans’ most consistent players in a season that started with six consecutive losses.
“They’re a loyal team to me. They drafted me and that’s something big for me.”
Jones’ team trained behind closed doors yesterday, when skipper Josh Kennedy was among a raft of players attempting to prove their fitness. Kennedy was restricted by a tight hamstring during the club’s loss to Hawthorn last week and would be sorely missed if he’s unable to face Geelong in tomorrow night’s crunch clash.
His loss would be a big blow, but Sydney’s hopes of winning the all-important midfield battle in Geelong were boosted by Patrick Dangerfield’s onegame suspension.